Hello,In the spirit of full disclosure I should let the group know that I (KenFoland) am the maker of the BluEQ and a member of Cloudy Nights. I got this idea while in the middle of an imaging session one night. I am disabled and have a lot of time to pursue projects such as this. If any of you have questions I would be glad to answer them.Thanks,KenFoland

Strange, because the connection on that device is the one used to hook the hand controller to the atlas, that means you have no hand controller to do the initial alignment. Does it come with software to acccomplish that task?

Strange, because the connection on that device is the one used to hook the hand controller to the atlas, that means you have no hand controller to do the initial alignment. Does it come with software to acccomplish that task?

I had the similar question and if so what protocol is supported on the PC side? Are there Bluetooth drivers or a ASCOM Interface for it? What additional hardware on the PC side is required and what Bluetooth version is used? Is it usable only with the SynScan controller or is a version for other controllers available as well?

The com port connection goes to the mount i suppose. Then the bluetooth electronics supports the function of virtual comm port over bluetooth.If so this device seems to be something like bluetooth eqdir module allowing control of mount for example with eqmod but without the need of cables. If this is the case the functionality depend on the bluetooth module used in the laptop and the bluetooth stack (software) which is used. Of course all of this can be totally wrong but seems most logical to me.

You are mostly correct. It simply uses a very common protocol supported by most all bluetooth software, Serial Port Profile (SPP) protocol, and it creates a virtual serial port server on the bluetooth controller. I have tested the unit with both ASCOM and EQASCOM/EQMOD. It does not use a hand controller. So, the planetarium software you use must be ASCOM & EQASCOM compliant. I use Stellarium & StellariumScope and because I don't have a hand controller to align with, EQMOD for alignment. I have also used it with Starry Night. I comes with no software or drivers to install, all functionality is provided by the software that most astronomers already have. I built the first one for myself and when it worked well I thought maybe others would like it. So, I built three to sell on ebay.Thanks for the interest,Ken

Basically, it replace the eqdir sold by shoestring, and connects just as the hand control would, allowing a wireless bluetooth connection to eqmod on the laptop. I like the idea, I just wanted a little more user reviews for assurance I don't fry my Atlas. I wouldn't be able to afford to replace it.

I purchased my Atlas EQg without the GOTO hand controller knowing I was going to come up with a wireless solution for the mount. I originally considered the Starry Night Bluestar but didn't like the fact that it was connected to the hand controller (no more cables, please)! I once had a Meade mount that used the same arrangement of cabling the PC to the hand controller and always thought that it left something to be desired. So, I began research on the internet as to the pinout and signals of the hand controller port. That information wasn't very widespread so I wasn't too successful. However, after some extensive digging and probing with a DMM I was able to determine the information needed to come up with a basic datasheet on the port. After building my first one and testing it in the field, literally, I thought a lot of astronomers could benefit from this and built a few to offer for sale on ebay.KenFoland

One major difference between this and all other products I have seen is that this device does not require the use of the upgraded hand controller. This will save the potential Atlas buyer a lot of cash.